Chenille tufting attachment for sewing machines



Sept. 23, 194l.- P. H. TURLEY 2,256,633 CHENILLE TUFTING ATTACHMENT FORSEWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1938 INVENTOR Pqf'r'lck H, Fur-lePic-1.4. BY

ATTORNEY i atented Sept. 23, 1941 CHENILLE TUFTING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWINGMACHINES Patrick H. Turley, Chattanooga, Tenn, assignor of one-half toW. E. Dellinger, Rome, Ga.

Application August 20, 1938, Serial No. 226,004

1 Claim. (01. 112-39) My invention relates to sewing machines, and moreparticularly to attachments for sewing machines for producing chenilletufts on fabric for use as bathmats, bedspreads and the like.

In the prior art, it has been the practice to pass a needle carrying astrand of yarn downwardly through the fabric, forming a loop below thelower side of the fabric. As the needle starts its upward travel, slackis developed in the loop, and as the needle is moved still furtherupwardly, a hook or finger, commonly called a looper, is passed throughthe loop to hold it, and prevent it from being pulled back up throughthe fabric, and finally the loop is severed by a cutter to form piles ortufts.

There are various combinations for accomplishing this result. However,there are certain features which are common to all. These featuresgenerally consist of a reciprocating needle for carrying the yarnthrough the fabric, a finger for movement across the plane of the pathof movement of the needle and having a hook adjacent its forwardextremity, and a cutting element pivotally or otherwise associated withthe finger for cooperation with the finger to sever the loops.

Generally, this looper or finger eithermoves in an arcuate or swingingpath with respect to the plane of the needle or at an angle with respectthereto. This, of course, results in uneven cutting of the loops. Suchcombinations are shown in Stewart 1,984,772, Warren 2,058,047, Boyce1,963,349, and others.

The moving finger and cutting mechanism are ordinarily actuated by anoscillating shaft, Boyce, supra, or from the feed dog mechanism,Stewart, supra. In this way, the loops are never caught in the sameposition on the looper and are never clipped in the same way by thelooper thus resulting in ragged tufts. In almost all of theseconstructions it will be noted that the blade is pivotally mounted uponthe looper with a lower extremity pivotally mounted upon a frame or to afixed part on the machine, so that if the blade is adjusted, at itslower end, then the looper must likewise be adjusted and. if the looperis adjusted the blade must be adjusted, and when either of theseelements are adjusted, the entire tufting machine is thrown out ofbalance.

Furthermore, if it is necessary to remove the finger or hook, then thewhole attachment must be dismantled and the same is true if the blade isto be removed. When wear takes place on the looper, it is necessary toadjust all of the parts to return the combination to operativecondition. Further examples of such construction are shown in Boyce1,880,192 and in Keeney, 1,855,916.

Another disadvantage is noted in connection with the Keeney patent andthe patent to Boyce 1,963,349, in that the looper operates the blade andthe cutting speed is, therefore, wholly dependent upon the speed of thelooper, necessitating the use of sharp blades to obtain the propercutting operation.

Applicant with a knowledge of all these defects in and objections to theprior art has for an object of his invention the provision of a tuftingattachment employing independently actuated loopers and blades, sothatthe cutting speed is greatly increasedby the separate movement of looperand blade, since the ability 'to cut is directly proportioned to thespeed of the relative movement of the cutting parts.

Applicant has as another object of his invention the provision of atufting attachment employing a looper for movement always in a directiontransversely to that of the path of movement of the needle, catchingeach of the loops at substantially the same place giving them equallength and severing them at substantially the same point, providingpiles which are even and similar.

' Applicant has a further object of his invention the provision of atufting attachment employing a transversely moving finger or looperdriven from a central shaft of the sewing machine and an independentlymounted and actuated blade for cooperation with the looper in severingthe loops, thereby permitting the removal of the blade and looperindependent of each other and eliminating the necessity for dismantlingthe whole attachment when one or both of these parts are removed.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing specifications and accompanying drawing and the novel featuresthereof will be particularly pointed out in the annexed claim.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmental end view of my improvedattachment mounted upon a sewing machine. Figure 2 is a 'fragmental sideelevation of the same attachment mounted on a sewing machine. Figure 3is a plan view of my improved attachment removed from the sewingmachine. Figure 4 is an end elevation of the same attachment removedfrom the sewing machine. Referring to the drawing in detail, Idesignates the head of the conventional sewing machine having a needlebar 2 carrying a reciprocating needle 3 therein and held thereby bythumbscrew 4. Mounted beneath the bed plate of the machine and carriedby ears projecting downwardly therefrom and mounted in appropriatebearings 6, l are the usual feed dog shafts.

Mounted between the ears and beneath the bed plate is frame l2 having anelongated opening 1'! through which screws are adapted to pass and seatin appropriate feet 34 of the bed plate.

l5, I5 designate screws which seat in the frame,

and project into the elongated slots for adjusting the frame i2 withrespect to the needle by engaging screws 8, 8. The nuts l6, is look theadjusting screws I5 in position. The frame I2 has upwardly projectingears which are recessed on their back sides to receive a slotted bar 20,

which. reciprocates freely in the recess.

7 Carried by the bar 20 is a block 32 which is secured thereto by screws33. Mounted on1the upper end of the blocl132 and adjustable withrespectthereto and easily removable therefrom is a looper finger or hookmember 38 having a hooked end. ,The finger or hook member is securedtothe upper end of the block by means of screwsjl, andhas elongated slotstherein for adjustment,Withrespect to the finger. V V Pivotally mountedupon'theframe [2 at, 21 is anarm 23, ,which projects upwardly adjacentthe reciprocating finger 30. by the arm '23 is a cutterhblade 24 whichis secured thereto by means of a .screw 25 which passes, through anelongated slot inthe arm 23 to permit adjustment of said. blade withrespect to the finger. 7

.When mounted on the machine, as shown in Figure '1, the pivoted arm 23is joined to the feed dog operating lever ,5 by means ofalink 2| which'is pivoted atone endto the arm 23 by means Adjustably carried shaft Hdriven from the main needle bar shaft in the conventional manner.Mounted on the end of this oscillating shaft II is a collar [0 carryingan offset pin 9 which sits inblock M.

In its operation, the needle bar 2 reciprocates up and down in the headI. As it passes downwardly through the fabric, carried on the uppersurface of the bed plate, the strand of yarn accompanies it and astheneedle reaches its lower extremity and begins its upper movement,slack is developed in the loop or strand of yarn passed down through thefabric. At this point,

' the oscillating shaft is in movement causing pin 9 to impart areciprocating motion to bar 29, thereby moving the looper in thedirection of the needle and passing the hook 30 between the needle andthe strand of yarn thereby catching the loop. As the needle movesfurther upwardly and passes out of the fabric, the loop of yarn is drawntighter about the looper or finger and the finger 36 moves back to itsinitial position. This operation is repeated over and over again andloops are passed one after another upon the finger 30. As the looper 30moves back to its initial position with more thanone loop thereon,

the cutter blade is actuated by the movement of the feed dog bar 5, sothat it clips the loop by its cooperation with the cutting edge on thelooper and acts as a scissors. The relative movement of both the looperand the blade creates a largecutting speed and insures that the loop isout, even tho the blade may be dull since the cutting is proportioned tothe cutting speed between the two cutting members.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A combination of the character described comprising a reciprocatingneedle for passing a strand of yarn down through a fabric to form loops,a frame positioned beneath thefabric and having a longitudinal grooveformed in a face thereof, a looper slidably mounted in said groove formovement substantially transversely to the plane of reciprocationof theneedle for engaging andiholding the loops, apivoted' cutterindependently mounted from the looper upon the frame for cooperationwith said looper to sever the, loops, and means independent of saidlooper for actuating said cutter.

PATRICK H. TURLEY.

